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CHANGING OF THE
GUARD After 17 years as our
Shop Manager, Rick Brodeur, who has been an
integral part of our team here at Ragtops &
Roadsters, has decided to retire. Rick has always
been a lifetime Austin Healey enthusiast, and
after meeting Mike at a local car show, Rick soon
found himself at Ragtops swinging spanners on MGs,
Austin Healeys and Triumphs. As the business grew
Rick moved into the position of Shop Manager. He
also began to work on developing custom
restoration-based software to help track the
progress of all the work coming into the shop. In
1995 along came the new building on Fourth St with
more space, and as more projects were undertaken
the business steadily grew though the late
nineties. Rick has always enjoyed the challenges
of restoration, especially those that the rare
cars present. Jaguar, AC Bristol, Lotus and Morgan
began coming along with the MGs, A/Hs and
Triumphs. As his responsibilities increased, he
has been managing a staff of six team members
through all phases of restoration from rusty car
to award-winning automobile, as well as continuing
to refine the IT systems here at R&R. As a
passionate Austin Healey enthusiast he has been a
member of the Austin Healey Sport & Touring
Club and participated in many Encounters
throughout the years. Now that he’s retired, he is
making plans to repair a leaking seal in his 1974
Midget that he has kept on the road for almost 20
years and he currently holds the R&R record
for most years using a British Car as his daily
driver! He also has a Big Healey BT7 waiting for
him in his carriage barn at home and is now
spending some time volunteering his restoration
knowledge on a P-61 Mustang at the Mid Atlantic
Air Museum in Reading…. He will be missed. Rick
has been working part-time over the past several
months with his replacement to insure a smooth
transition. Carl Houpert has also been a car
enthusiast since his teenage years with his first
“proper car” being that of a Primrose Yellow
Triumph TR-4. He and his brother kept the car
running until it was crashed…Not by Carl. He later
became a factory-certified technician at Holbert’s
Volkswagen and worked with them as VW finally
realized they needed to add water to make their
cars pass emissions. After working with VW he
spent 14 years in the world of electronics as the
Eastern Regional Sales Manager for Sony
Corporation. He currently owns and maintains a 69
Beetle and 66 VW Bus and we are trying get him
back into a proper British Motorcar again! Carl
brings with him an excellent understanding of
customer service as well as a very good technical
background in what it takes to get the job done
right. He has fully transitioned into Rick’s seat
and we all look forward to working with him in the
years ahead. Carl is looking forward to meeting
our clients over the next several months, so you
will see him at the shop or speak with him on
phone when you call in for the service that you
have been putting off! Who knows?...maybe Carl
will buy your LBC.
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PUT EM AWAY
RUN
On
Sunday November 18, 2012 was the annual "Put Em
Away Run" hosted by DVR-CCCA. A gorgeous day
for the 12 car group which was attended by the
DVR-CCCA,Pottstown AACA and the Bentley
Drivers Group. The group met at the WaWa
in West Chester, PA . The cars took a one hour
winding road tour of the wonderful roads in West
Chester. One of the stops along the way was in
Spring City, PA. The group was introduced to a
wonderful collection of Carriages and Rolls
Royces. Mr. Harry Tucci gave a knowledgeable
guided tour of his collection for approximately an
hour. The group could have stayed all day, however
they had one more stop before the run was over.
The group returned to their cars for another 20
minute ride to Pollock Auto Restoration for their
Fall Open House. At Pollock's the group was
given a guided tour thru the shop with
explanations of the current jobs and each
department. As usual there was a nice array of
snacks in the office
area. | |
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Sandy Slams the
Car World
From - American Collector newsletter,
November 2012 While American
Collectors New Jersey headquarters is located far
inland from the coastal towns that suffered the
brunt of Hurricane Sandy's force, we continue to
feel the storm's impact. Hundreds ofantique car
owners were affected, and in some cases damage to
a collector car was the least of their
worries. Losses are still being counted, but
there will be thousands of cars affected when the
numbers are totaled. Many will be written off, but
there are also going to be hundreds of cars with
body and water damage heading for shops throughout
the country, not just in the Northeast. This means
there could be a backlog at your local shop - or a
shortage of parts. There are areas near the shore
where literally every single car was damaged,
either by debris or water. As anyone who has ever
worked on a water-damaged car can attest, this
type of repair is hard going, especially when salt
water is involved. It can't just look OK-it has to
be disassembled so that any pockets where water
could accumulate can be flushed out and resealed.
Essentially, all the collector cars that came in
contact with salt water will need to be
refurbished, restored, or sadly, written off. To
get all these cars (not to mention lives) back
into something resembling their previous condition
is going to take a lot of work, from many people.
Fortunately, coming together in times of need is
one of the things the old car hobby does best. So
even as residents of the Atlantic coast are still
struggling with housing, food, and water; car
clubs and other organizations in areas that
weren't completely devastated are gearing up to
try and help. We are prepared
to work with car owners in need of
advice, consultation or
repairs. | |
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CHOOSE FALL FOR
FALLING COLLECTOR CAR
PRICES
The skies are gray, the leaves are falling,
and the flakes will soon be here, but in the world
of collector cars, the waning days of Autumn and
gloomy weather is the perfect time to latch onto
that specialty car that you've had your eye on.
Now is the best time because with car shows over
for the year, many collectors will decide to weed
out their collection and part with that
special sports car, collector car or project car
that maybe, just perhaps, you've been dreaming
about for, those many years -AND at a great
bargain price. Sometimes a car is “let go” so as
to not incur storage and maintence expenses. The
upcoming snowflakes also don’t mean the end of the
fun for the collector or enthusiast, for now the
fun really begins: after acquiring the car of your
dreams or that special project, many an enjoyable
hour can be had by sitting in front of the cozy
fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa, pouring through
car magazine or parts catalog. Doing the leg work,
scouring the internet for that missing part or
doing research on your marque is one of the
additional joys a collector can avail himself of
during the Winter months. It is also an opportune
time to take note of car shows you wish to
attend in the upcoming year. Spend some time
and take stock of that previously owned or
newly purchased sports or collector car sitting in
your garage and plot out a plan and your
restoration will be the best for it in the long
run. So while Winter is a gloomy time of the year
for most, for the collector and sports car folk,
Winter can be the BEST time of the year- a time to
recoup and re- gather, formulating new plans and
new ideas for the new year and taking advantage of
the falling prices and big bargains to be had in
the collectors car market. Check out our website as “new” collector cars
are always looking for new homes… Keep an eye out
for that special car and remember our “ProjectCar” section if you are
looking to get involved in a restoration. Prices
are always changing and good buys are to be had!
Remember, this is a great time to bring a new
purchase or a car you've owned for years to
Ragtops and have it ready to enjoy in the
spring! | | |
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Copyright © 2012 Ragtops & Roadsters,
All rights reserved.
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